The Republic

The Republic of Plato is the longest of his works with the exception of the Laws, and is certainly the greatest of them. No other Dialogue of Plato has the same largeness of view and the same perfection of style; no other shows an equal knowledge of the world, or contains more of those thoughts which are new as well as old, and not of one age only but of all. Nowhere in Plato is there a deeper irony or a greater wealth of humor or imagery, or more dramatic power. Nor in any other of his writings is the attempt made to interweave life and speculation, or to connect politics with philosophy. The Republic is the center around which the other Dialogues may be grouped; here philosophy reaches the highest point to which ancient thinkers ever attained.